Hard Pass (Lone Star Rebels 2) by K. Bromberg-review & tour
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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date August 20, 2026
Falling for the one woman who has the power to end my football career was never part of the plan . . .
This was supposed to be Cole Valor’s record-breaking season.
Instead, the star quarterback can’t seem to find his game. Missed throws. Bad reads. And someone is making a fortune betting against him.
When suspicious betting patterns surrounding his performance raise red flags, the NFL assigns its top integrity investigator to determine if its golden boy is the victim . . . or the mastermind.
Dublin Locke has built her career on facts, not feelings. She’s determined to follow the evidence wherever it leads, even if it points back to the man whose kiss she’s never forgotten.
The deeper Dublin digs, the more the evidence points to Cole. Yet he insists on helping her uncover the truth. Is he proving his innocence . . . or trying to throw her off his trail?
Working side by side as the investigation tightens its grip, the line between professional and personal begins to blur—and every stolen kiss pushes them further over a line neither of them can afford to cross.
Because every instinct tells Dublin to keep her distance.
But the more she falls for him, the harder it becomes to know which to believe—the facts . . . or her heart.
••••••
REVIEW: HARD PASS is the second instalment in K. Bromberg’s contemporary, adult LONE STAR REBELS erotic, football romance series. This is twenty-four year old, quarterback Cole Valor, and integrity investigator Dublin Locke’s story line. HARD PASS can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story line is revealed where necessary.
Told from dual first person perspective (Dublin and Cole) HARD PASS follows the forbidden romance and relationship between our story line couple. Five years earlier, while on vacation in Cabo San Lucas, Dublin Locke had a one-night stand with a stranger, a man whose name she never knew or would never forget. Fast forward to present, Dublin is now an integrity investigator, investigating anomalies and patterns in professional sports and her latest assignment is analyzing and investigating quarterback Cole Valor, a man whose reputation is about to take a hit. A pattern of external large bets and sizable wins during the Lone Star Rebel games brings the focus onto our story line hero, a man who is struggling with demons from his past. As Dublin begins a deep dive into Cole Valor’s professional career she finds herself falling for a man battling the ghosts from the past but it is Cole Valor who will reveal the ultimate betrayal, a betrayal that threatens not only our story line hero but the woman with whom he has fallen in love.
The world building focuses on the game of football-the wins, the losses, the determination and the failures. From the field to the locker rooms, to the after hours celebrations and their personal lives, the reader is pulled into a world of high stakes and even higher attitudes.
The relationship between Cole and Dublin begins as a one-night stand wherein neither one ever knew the other’s name. Five years before they would meet again, and in this, Cole finds himself at the center of an investigation that could end his career. Dublin is determined to prove Cole is innocent but someone else is doing damage behind the scenes, and Dublin quickly realizes Cole is losing control both professionally and personally . The $ex scenes are erotic and provocative.
There is another large ensemble cast of colorful, energetic and sometimes questionable secondary and supporting characters. We are introduced to Cole’s family and friends: his parents, friends Malachi, Tristan and Jaxon, and the return of Coach Brooks, teammates Camden Wolfe and Lucas Hale, team psychiatrist Doc Hawley; team liaison Carter Dublin’s boss Marcus, and her best friend Willa. Camden’s story line is next in The Playmaker.
HARD PASS is a story of secrets and lies, betrayal and deception, family and friendships, relationships and love. The character driven premise is dramatic, edgy and intriguing; the romance is passionate and intense; the characters are desperate, determined and charismatic.
Copy supplied for review
Reviewed by Sandy
New York Times Bestselling author K. Bromberg writes contemporary novels that contain a mixture of sweet, emotional, a whole lot of sexy, and a little bit of real. She likes to write strong heroines, and damaged heroes who we love to hate and hate to love.
A mom of three, she plots her novels in between school runs and soccer practices, more often than not with her laptop in tow.
Since publishing her first book in 2013, K. has sold over one million copies of her books and has landed on the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestsellers lists over twenty-five times.
In April, she’ll release The Player, the first in a two-book sports romance series (The Catch, book 2, will be released late June), with many more already outlined and ready to be written.
She loves to hear from her readers so make sure you check her out on social media or sign up for her newsletter to stay up to date on all her latest releases and sales HERE
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